Ex-astronaut Mark Kelly launches Ohio coalition to fight gun violence

COLUMBUS A nationally recognized gun safety advocate visited Columbus on Wednesday to unveil a new coalition that aims to address gun violence across the state.

Retired astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, was joined by a slew of local and statewide leaders to announce the Ohio Coalition for Common Sense. It's the eighth such statewide coalition started by Kelly and Giffords' Americans for Responsible Solutions foundation.

During a morning news conference at the Statehouse, Kelly talked about the need for "common sense" gun laws in the state and the deep economic impact gun violence has on Ohioans. Kelly and others confirmed that the Ohio coalition has not approached lawmakers. Any proposals perceived as eroding gun rights are expected to face stiff legislative opposition.

Giffords originally was slated to attend the day's events, and several reasons were given for her absence. Among those were exhaustion, rehabilitation from her harrowing injury — she and 18 others were shot in Tucson, Ariz. — and scheduling conflicts, according to a spokesperson.

Kelly's foundation unveiled a study that tallied the economic cost of gun violence in Ohio at $2.7 billion each year. Within that total is $123 million in health-care costs, $227 million in police and criminal justice expenses, $16 million in costs to employers and $2.4 billion in lost income for victims of gun violence.

Gary Baker, president of the Columbus Public School Board, said the district is taking a leadership role in the nascent coalition. His students often are affected by gun violence in their communities, but Baker said the district has been lucky to avoid many incidents on school property.

Baker said the coalition plans to push for three pieces of legislation: disallowing access to silencers, stopping concealed carry reciprocity and ending background check loophole laws. Although he hasn't spoken to lawmakers, he said he is hopeful about potential collaboration on legislation.

"Don't be surprised if subsequent to that beginning, if you don't hear something about potential statewide ballot initiatives (addressing gun violence)," Baker said. "Obviously we're going to try to work with our elected officials in the legislature first. ... We know that there are folks in the legislature who will be open to commons sense legislation around closing those loopholes."

Joining Kelly during the news conference were representatives from YWCA in Cincinnati, McCain Law Office, Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Women Helping Women and the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.

The push for universal background checks is a national and statewide priority for Kelly's group. He repeatedly stated that the vast majority of Ohioans support the initiative. That statement holds water nationally, with 93 percent of respondents in a 2016 Quinnipiac University survey supporting an initiative requiring background checks for all gun buyers.

Jim Irvine, board president of Buckeye Firearms Association, isn't buying it. Mandatory background checks are the first step toward mandatory gun registration, which he said would facilitate firearm confiscation if the government chose to do so. He also said mandatory gun registration would be politically impossible.

Included in Americans for Responsible Solutions' report were community-level solutions for gun violence, such as the Cure Violence campaign, billed as a public health strategy that "treats gun violence as a communicable disease." The initiative would employ community members to intervene in violent situations and connect vulnerable youths to social services.

Irvine agreed the firearms group could do more to help urban neighborhoods afflicted by gun violence. His organization would even be willing to partner with other community initiatives, but only if "they can show they are willing to solve the problem." He noted that stricter gun laws are not viewed by the organization as a solution to violence perpetrated with firearms.

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